This is a good thread. I think people would be happier if they (myself included!) took the time to notice and feel grateful for the little things we tend to take for granted. I have been trying to exercise this kind of awareness for a few months now and discovered that there are many of those things surrounding us and happening to us all the time, it's just a matter of paying more attention to them. Sure, there are those moments when everything seems to fit together and all of a sudden you realize "Oh, I feel so good and happy right now, everything seems perfect", like in the situation described in the original post in this thread, but I have a feeling that we miss out on enjoying this kind of thing more frequently simply because we're too busy with other things while being completely unaware of the things surrounding us that could produce the very same effect, should we just notice them more consciously.
To me, I feel really good
when I get home and my dog greets me at the door all happy because I'm home, or to wake up in the middle of the night when it's raining and just enjoy the sound of the rain (I sometimes even open the window so that I can also smell the rain) - and speaking of that, I
go out in the rain on purpose because it makes me feel simply wonderful and energized. To get
hugs and kisses from my 2 little cousins and see them smile and laugh, to enjoy a
nicely cooked meal, even to spend time by myself on weekends doing what pleases me. To light up a vanilla scented candle in my room before bedtime, to put on new clothes or that comfortable old sweatshirt smelling like laundry, to drink fresh coffee on a cold saturday morning right after waking up when I can stay in. To watch a
beautiful sunrise or a beautiful sunset,
rainbows. To
act silly. I feel like everything is perfect in all of the situations above and in many many others, but I noticed that I've started feeling like this much more frequently ever since I decided to consciously pay more attention to these little things. I haven't done that yet, but I will soon - make a list of all these little things that make me happy and even go a step further, not only noticing them when they happen, but also making them happen whenever possible - and let's face it, these things are so simple that making them happen many times a day even is not even hard!
Clean sheets is a good one too. In the past week I
bought these cosmetics I really wanted (like body lotion, make-up, a new perfume, etc) and I really enjoy taking care of myself, so getting out of the shower (oh, and the feeling right after you take a shower is wonderful to me too!
) and using these products, feeling the smell of that particular body lotion I so much wanted on my skin and the smell of the perfume and so on, this was simply wonderful! I went to bed (in clean sheets
) feeling great! The following day, same thing and I also got all dressed up to go out, used the new make-up, the same perfume again, I felt like I was gliding - and not because I thought I looked good necessarily, but because I was feeling good with myself. These are all simple things, but if we allow ourselves to enjoy them fully they tend to expand and to produce longer lasting results.